


Asunder

by welzes



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 20:44:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16436459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/welzes/pseuds/welzes
Summary: Sandalphon succeeds Lucifer as the Supreme Primarch in the wake of Avatar's emergence, only to be countered by a familiar face in the fateful battle.





	Asunder

Following Lyria's senses, they rush into the distant chamber of the shrine nestled within the heart of Canaan. There, Sandalphon glances over his shoulder, his arms raised toward his chest as if he were holding something--yet nothing is there.

Lyria gasps. "S-Sandalphon!"

"What happened? Where's Lucifer?" demands Vyrn, swerving his head here and there in search of the Supreme Primarch.

Sandalphon shifts. He lowers his arms in a stilted gesture. Just then, a flash of light envelopes the chamber and recedes to reveal six luminous wings sprouting from his back. Gran, Lyria, and Vyrn take in the sight with their jaws agape while Sandalphon swallows.

"Lucifer . . . is gone."

And his successor, the new Supreme Primarch, has no idea who any of them are.

 

"Hey, hey, are you serious about not knowing? You don't remember the Cataclysm at all?" asks Vyrn, gaze cast downward.

Sandalphon shakes his head, his brow furrowing. "No . . . not even a little. I'm sorry. Those memories must have been the price for my purification in the cradle."

He brings his hands together. Unbeknownst to the trio of mortals, he does so to stay the faint trembles that wrack his body.

Lucifer, Sandalphon's creator and the beloved Primarch of Evolution, has died and passed his powers on to his inferior successor. Now Sandalphon must utilize those powers with great urgency. Given the state of the Sky Realm, he can ill afford to spend more time on the deck of the Grandcypher, pondering what he'd done during the so-called Cataclysm. Yet--

"Save this discussion for later. The longer we dawdle, the more Avatar gains on us," says Halluel, to which Malluel adds: "Regardless of the state of your memories, you must act now, Supreme Primarch."

Yet there's no way, thinks Sandalphon, that he can do it.

His hesitation incurs Halluel's wrath and she shouts for his seriousness. Against his better judgment, Sandalphon flinches when Lyria bounds toward him with a look of resolution on her face.

"Sandalphon! I . . . I can't imagine what you're going through right now, and I know that we're asking for a lot--but we're here with you! You're not alone. We have your back, so you can take flight without worrying. Once this is all over, I promise that we'll talk about what happened. For now, let's defeat Avatar together!"

Such pretty, encouraging words that he doesn't deserve. But the archangel who's inherited Lucifer's powers is Sandalphon, who has no choice but to move forward. He takes a deep, shaky breath; then unfurls the great wings left to him and takes to the air with Halluel and Malluel at his either flank.

 

All living beings are brought into the world with light and dark. To stamp one out, means to sunder the being into two shallow pieces.

As Sandalphon moves in to deliver a decisive strike against Belial, a blur of movement cuts into his vision and blocks the attack. His sword meets another with a sharp clang that rings his ears. Behind him, he hears the collective gasps of Halluel and Malluel while his eyes widen at the newcomer.

A hooded figure clad in his old armor stands between Sandalphon and Belial, who regards the doppelganger's entrance with a knowing smirk.

"Took you long enough," says Belial.

"I don't recall promising anything."

Sandalphon stiffens. The twin archangels dare to fly closer to their locked position.

"What's the meaning of this? Why is there another Sandalphon!" shouts Halluel.

"That voice and aura . . . There's no doubt. They're the one and same," whispers Malluel.

"Very astute of you," says the other Sandalphon. "You're much sharper than all of the Four Primarchs combined. I didn't even need to show my face."

The hooded figure withdraws. The sudden lack of opposing force causes Sandalphon to stagger forward while his counterpart pulls the hood back to reveal an identical face.

"But it doesn't hurt to confirm," he finishes in a jovial tone.

Amid the surprised stares, Belial slides toward the other Sandalphon.

"Still don't get it? And here I was thinking that we'd be able to go straight into a threesome. Ah, well. Are you still in shock, Sandy? Sure that this is the time to be standing there, trying to make sense of what Lucifer--?"

"Quiet," the other Sandalphon cuts in. He indicates a distant point in the gray sky with the tilt of his chin. "You talk too much, Belial. Why don't you go over there and let the adults finish?"

"I don't mind being the voyeur, but even that's better doing up close."

"Fine. Then stay here and keep your unnecessary thoughts to yourself."

Belial chuckles. True to his word, he doesn't say anything.

Seemingly satisfied, the other Sandalphon redirects his attention to his six-winged counterpart. The twin archangels, flitting restlessly behind the Supreme Primarch, go ignored.

Sandalphon swallows again. "Who are you?"

"That again? Didn't we just establish this? Well, I'll forgive your lapse this once. Plainly speaking, I'm you--the part of you that was discarded for your purification. How's that for keeping it simple?" He pivots in the air, hand sliding back to the hilt of his sheathed blade. "I'll give you another hint while I'm at it. The reason I stand here now before you while the sky plunges further into chaos . . . is so that I can kill you. Hope you haven't gotten too comfortable with your new powers."

As soon as the last word escapes his lips, the other Sandalphon draws his weapon in a flash. The resultant shockwave rips through the air, countered at the last split second by Sandalphon's enhanced reflex.

Their eyes meet in an uneven gaze. Then the other Sandalphon lunges; and the Supreme Primarch, robbed of a choice in the matter, doesn't hesitate.

 

In the end, everything works out as well as they can.

Belial and the other Sandalphon retreat, followed by Avatar's elimination. The victory is a transient one, colored by the inevitable fact that Lucilius' legacy will someday return and threaten the Sky Realm once more. In the meantime, however, the skies have stabilized, just long enough for a much needed discussion to take place.

Sandalphon sits across the same trio who'd ventured into the shrine. They're below deck within the Grandcypher, gathered for the promised talk with coffee brewing in the background as gratuity.

Gran, Lyria, and Vyrn take turns to tell the story of the Cataclysm.

Sandalphon struggles to understand his own motives for subjecting the Sky Realm to such atrocity. He looks down at his folded hands, more confused than ashamed by his past deeds. Lyria paints the image of a conflicted, guiltridden character that feels entirely like someone else.

Gran finishes the tale off, and they all wait with bated breath for his verdict.

"I . . . don't know what to say," says Sandalphon, honestly. "I don't remember any of it."

Impossible though it should be, he doesn't. At the very least, he should feel something other than confusion. Perplexity reigns in his empty mind, a landscape sculpted by Lucifer in his final moments to put aside all that was unnecessary and unbecoming of an archangel. At best, Sandalphon finds himself numb to the truth.

 

"I remember all of it."

Far, far away in an unseen corner of the skies, the hooded Sandalphon observes the distant islands with mild interest. He's soon joined by Belial, who doesn't stop advancing until he's a mere inch from touching Sandalphon's back.

"A right shame, if you ask me. Memories of all that power, only to possess half your original strength in your current state. Don't you agree, Sandy?" Belial pauses. "Ah, that's not your name though, is it?"

"Why don't you try using it again, and see if your wings stay attached to your back this time?"

Belial chortles, mirth etching into every word of his response. "Is that a threat? I'm afraid my wings aren't cheap . . . but, for a reward, I might be willing to give you a peek. Why don't you give me a show sometime? I'll consider letting you see them afterward."

"Humph. Are you capable of uttering anything besides nonsense? Enough. I'm going to take a look around. Don't follow me."

Without waiting for a response, Sandalphon takes off in the direction that would take him farthest from Belial. When the sorry excuse for a primarch speaks, he can hardly hear himself think.

His thoughts are a whirlwind of emotions, half of which he cannot place as to where they came from. Now alone, all he can hear is the irritating pounding of his heart. Scowling, Sandalphon grinds to a halt in the middle of an empty sky, farther than ever from a living soul.

"Hey," he grouses airily, "isn't it unfair that you maintain a peaceful existence while mine remains contradictory? You've been handed power on a silver platter, while I exist in this pitiful state. You and I are both incomplete beings, yet only I've been singled out. It's as if Lucifer were begging for another Cataclysm."

He grinds his teeth, his irritation aggravated by the reminder of Lucifer's name. That incompetent overseer of the Sky Realm and its evolution has passed--and how better off they are for it! Look what Lucifer has done by inadvertently birthing him, an abomination among archangels!

"Since he's no longer around to see it, I'll show it to you instead. After everything that transpired in the first Cataclysm, nothing's changed . . . so I'll bring it to you: the second coming of the calamity. Who knows? Maybe I'll even use Lucilius' legacy this time.

"When that day arrives, you'll relinquish your ego to me. After all you've been given without your working for any of it, it's only fair that you help me make sense of these foolish emotions."

This time, the world will burn and he will be there at its peak to feast upon the repulsive ashes.

**Author's Note:**

> This was very obviously posted without proofreading, because it's 0230 as I write this and I'm not all there right now.
> 
> Calamity, henceforth known as thus, thinks Sandalphon has the emotionally repressed part down pat as the Supreme Primarch. This is because all the negative emotions and memories associated with the Cataclysm were excised from Sandalphon during his purification in the cradle, reverting him back to his sweet and innocent persona without the baggage. Consequently, he can no longer feel anger or guilt, and his capacity for sadness is limited. The honor for that torment goes to Calamity, who lacks the positive feelings toward Lucifer to understand his own suffering; he thinks he's still angry, but he's actually grieving Lucifer's death.
> 
> Sandalphon's primary concern lies in his persistent lack of self-worth. He'll go on to struggle with taking up Lucifer's reins, making for a hesitant and soft supreme primarch.
> 
> I'm explaining all of this, because the chances of my continuing this story are quite low due to my absolutely abysmal stamina and capacity for outlining. But here it is!
> 
> P.S. In this story, Belial is younger than Sandalphon, which is why Calamity addressed him as such when trying to shut him up.


End file.
